‘It’s about relationships’ for Hartselle’s ACCESS Counselor of the Year
Hartselle High School’s Beth Stough was recently named the 2023-24 Alabama State Department of Education ACCESS Counselor of the Year.
The 2001 Austin High School graduate completed her 20th year in education this spring and will begin her fourth year in Hartselle schools this fall.
Stough has a background in music education and worked in Decatur City Schools before assuming positions in Hartselle at both the intermediate and high schools.
“I am proud to serve as a school counselor at Hartselle High School,” Stough said. “It is my goal to use my years of experience and my compassion and enthusiasm for youth to make a positive impact on the students at Hartselle High School.”
Stough said her approach to counseling is rooted in her belief that every student deserves to feel heard, understood and supported.
Her recognition as the ACCESS Counselor of the Year is a testament to her unwavering dedication and the positive influence she has had on countless students’ lives, according to Hartselle principal Dr. Brad Cooper.
“Beth Stough is a phenomenal counselor with a huge heart for students. She always goes above and beyond to ensure our students have the support they need in many areas,” Cooper said.
“We help students with everything under the sun from mental health issues, their academics, making sure that they are learning those skills from how to study and stay organized, regulating their social and emotional responses from how to get along friends and going through breakups.
“If it’s not a discipline issue, they’re usually coming to us.”
For Stough, the job is about the relationships she fosters with her students.
“When I thought chorus, one thing my students knew about me was if they came to me for help, I was going to be there to help them,” she said. “It wasn’t the counseling office, but I want my students to know that I’m here for them, I want what’s best for them and not everyone and every situation is one size fits all solution.”
“My first semester at Alabama was in September 2001, during 9/11, that was my first year being away from home, so that was incredibly scary, but I remember the pressure of feeling and thinking ‘I’m an adult now and I’ve got to figure out what I’m going to do with the rest of my life,’” she said. “I remember how overwhelming that can be. I wanted to be able to help.”
She said her career is a rewarding one and she was honored to be chosen as the Alabama State Department of Education ACCESS Counselor of the Year.
“You want to make a difference as a teacher and school counselor,” she said. “Everyone does things in their jobs that people don’t see, and I feel like especially mine because I’m not the senior counselor, I’m not over graduation or doing big things but I do a lot of things behind the scenes, and it did make me feel good to know that was recognized.”
Outside of her professional achievements, Stough is a devoted wife and mother. She is married to her husband, Rhett Stough, and together they have two daughters, Maddie and Hannah.
